Let me start by saying that there is nothing in this world quite like the high desert in spring time. The dessert is lush and green. Yes. Lush and green. The spring brings tufts of grass, and wildflowers, and trees that take decades to grow but a few inches, and prickly things. All beautiful.
The core team (Atreyu and Fawn) and I did two nights in the Cottonwood Canyon state park on the banks of the John Day river, just a bit south east of The Dalles OR. We pulled in around 5-6 on Friday and set up. It's super windy here so set up your tent on the leeward side of the provided shelter walls. These will also give a little shade in late hours if the sun is blazing. We had a little dinner and settled in to watch the stars from the door of our tent with my boy all cozied in his bag with his head laying in my lap so he could see.
The thing you might not expect is the cold. Year round it gets cold at night.
On Saturday we woke up and made windy breakfast, oatmeal bar and coffee. I LOOOOOVE oatmeal (#sarcasm), but it is good for you, especially out in the wilderness. Sticks to your ribs. I had a small stroll over with a group of adults(!!!!) for a guided bird walk. Cooler than it sounds, actually. Then the three of us packed some day bags and wandered into the desert. 1.5 miles each way along the river down the "Hard Stone Trail". It was beautiful. Theres a super nice spot overlooking a bend in the river with a bench. Trey managed to walk the whole distance down and back with minimal breaks and carrying a pack, (BACKPACKING IN THE NEAR FUTURE!!!) a picnic lunch and back to camp.
Dinner was a mish-mash of chicken legs, rice and broccoli. Followed by marshmallows toasted, not burnt, with melted chocolate on top. I never saw a kid so content as in that moment. Another 1.5 miles loop around the park and settle in. Sitting by the fire as twilight grows in the canyon, with the river rushing by and a warm fire. Sitting, and talking into the darkness.as the stars peek out and the moon shines so bright you don't even need a flashlight to see.
Remember what I said about cold at night? Well... we woke to frost. On everything. But I got a fire going and we had some hot breakfast. We packed up and soaked up some sun before heading home. Stopped in a little diner, marys pancake house or something, in The Dalles, another quick stop at a playground and then home.
No reviews of gear this time, nothing new to report on that front. However I'd like to do a review of the campground. How wonderful is this time of year. So perfect. A couple things. It is cheap only $10 a night and there is firewood but it burns out very quickly, and no fires for late spring all through summer. But I'll bet you could find a couple great spots to splash in the river once the level goes down a bit. Are you a star gazer? You couldn't do better than this park on a new moon in the summer. Complete unobstructed view of the whole sky without so much as an inkling off light pollution. But Id make the recommendation of bringing your stove to cook, or better yet just bring lots of snacks and fresh fruit. Stuff that doesn't need to be cooked or kept cold. Whole watermelon, oranges, apples kiwi, those kinds of things. There is no ice anywhere to be found here either. Not for miles. There is literally no store open after 5 for a 30 minute drive. Last pro-tip here: I bring extra ground cover for under the tent and maybe don't take off your shoes and go running around barefoot. It is the desert and a lot of the plants are super sharp. A hole in your tent or your foot wouldn't be pleasant.
Until next time...
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